Tsuriaichi
by darkskysong
Summary: A kakkei genkai has strengths and weaknesses. The Hosoku seek help to revive their bloodline limit, which has a weakness that outweighs its strength. Konoha is their last choice. Better summary inside. Original clan, Naruto characters. ABANDONED
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer** : Kishimoto-sama owns Naruto and co. but the Hosoku clan and related paraphernalia are mine.

**Full Summary** : They say shinobi with a kakei genkai have the advantage in battle and thus counted among the strongest ninja. Every one knows each bloodline has a weakness, but has it ever been considered that an advanced bloodline could incapacitate its user rather than making them stronger. The Hosoku clan knows this only too well. Their final hope to revive their kakei genkai is to seek out the shinobi of Konohagakure.

**Warning** : Blood, Angst

**A/N** : This idea evolved from my idle thoughts on kakei genkai and how they could be viewed. It will be my 1st chapter fic that tries to explore issues that are mostly foreign to me, so please bear with me. I don't like Mary Sues any more than the next person so please tell me if my OC heads that way.

**Note** : I would like to include pairings for background dynamics, so I'm leaving them open for readers to suggest couples. They can be m/f, m/m, or f/f. However, Naruto & Sasuke are a definite for plot-related intentions.

Now onto the fic!

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**Tsuriaichi**

**Prologue**  
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_It hurt._

If it was the only thing she knew in quantities than it was most certainly pain. She knew there was a difference between physical pain and emotional pain but over the years of her existence, that line was slowly eroded until the definition was only retained by a tenuous thread. Yet such a definition still did not cover the entire spectrum of hurts humans forced them selves to feel within their allotted lifespan.

For her, living had become one constant trial after painful trial and error was always blatantly waiting around the corner for her to slip and fall. And fall she did, not necessarily hard but fall nevertheless. It was another regular fact in her isolated life that nagged at her ambitions, still trying to back her into the corner of mediocrity and hopelessness.

Still trying were the keywords, she had a strong will which continued to solidify with each of her successes. Her story was not all sunshine, butterflies and the will of youth, no, it was far from it. For every few steps forward there was always, _always_, steps backwards.

She absently brushed long strands of hair from her face, letting the feel of the silky tresses dissipate the beginnings of a familiar train of thoughts, one she did not want to travel at any given time. Irrevocably every session was interrupted by the same whirl of memories and questions and she would not be fit to continue. It irked her that she was unable to restrain the dark musings of her own mind while being retaught the basics of controlling one's body.

The throbbing ache in her left wrist reminded her of why she had started down that particular philosophical path again. Pain. She shoved both relevant and unwanted thoughts alike to the side and concentrated solely on the problem at hand.

Rough textured fingers gently probed the area around the joint, assessing the injury as best as she could. The swelling had already commenced and with a little more stimulation from her fingers the bruising would manifest earlier as well. She let a sigh escape her lips, one that revealed a tiny extent of the exhaustion she was concealing.

The new sprain topped a long list of scrapes and injuries which coloured her young life. She guessed she should be used to it by now and in a way she was, but it did get tiresome when the repetition of a hurt reached ten. Mentally dragging up the list she counted the amount of damage her left arm had received since she had started training years ago. Two shoulder dislocations, a broken forearm, some fractured or sprained fingers and this was the thirteenth time the wrist had been sprained.

Obsidian eyes glinted from across the clearing, silently laughing at her misfortune for he had won their little bet - whether she would push too hard and injure her self - again. She ignored them for the moment, tucking the injured limb against her chest and using the other to lever her tired body from its rest on the grass. A small rock hidden in the greenery pressed into her palm and made her wince; she forgot the right hand also did not escape unscathed. It was mostly light grazes, nothing serious, so she took no notice of the stinging either.

It was with another small exhale of breath that she walked casually over to the mocking young man, swiping dirt and grass blades from her sweatpants and palms. He wordlessly held out a hand towards her, palm up, which she glared at briefly before resting the requested appendage in the other's hand. With deceptive gentleness in his strong fingers, he proceeded to firmly bind her wrist in a long, cloth bandage he had procured from the belt pouch he wore. Her eyes wandered from the ministration to appreciate the environment blooming around them.

Spring had come early to the valley this year and it seemed that the sleeping flora knew the bright orb above offered no real warmth for the first couple of weeks. Only in the last week had there been any heat to the sunlight excluding the mornings where the air still carried a slight chill.

Looking beyond the onyx eyed man's shoulders she could see a mass of bushes clumping together, proudly adorned by brilliant orange and dazzling yellow flowers. There were purple wildflowers growing approximately a quarter turn of the glen, which was far enough along so the clash of colours weren't as intense had they been next door. If she glanced over her left shoulder, a small patch of white petalled groundcover waved happily back at her. She felt as if she knew its name but she had never been good at horticulture and thus the plant's name stayed elusive.

Lilies were the only flowers she could identify correctly from their shape, mainly because the name meanings of some of her family members contained lily. The rest of the foliage varied from glossy, dark green leaves to the lighter olive of several grass shrubs scattered in this area.

A throaty sound of satisfaction and the accompanied nod of the male brunette reeled her attention back to him. She retrieved her arm and inspected the handiwork; it was comfortably tight and restricted the joint from excessive movement, assisting the healing process. The corners of her mouth lifted into a smile of thanks for her friend.

Her eyes crinkled as she imagined the verbal abuse he would throw at her if she told him he would make a great mother one day. The young man standing beside her was solidly built and entirely masculine but there were some days where his placid nature bordered on maternal.

He motioned with a hand that he was going to return home. This happened every time she managed enough energy for an outside session so she just nodded. He would accompany her out, supervise the training and then leave when he was satisfied she had given up the strenuous part of her jaunt for the day.

She watched his retreating blue clothed back until it was masked by the multitude of thin trunks and copious amount of foliage. The last thing on her light schedule was meditation so she turned in the direction of her favourite place and started walking.

The location wasn't a great distance from the glen, taking mere minutes to get there. What made it her favourite place was that it was a small guarded alcove on the bank of a nondescript river which coursed through the forest. The ground at the base of the trees was springy and comfy to rest upon; she bet she could stay for hours without moving but personal safety never allowed her the chance.

She made her unhurried way to one of the older trees whose roots formed an armchair like seat which fit snugly against her back. The soothing sounds of swift water and the plaintive calls of the native birds merged together in a delicate song for her meditation exercise.

She simply closed her eyes and drew the tranquillity of the forest into her body with slow, deep breaths. This was probably the only time when she actively contemplated that series of philosophical ideas and facts about herself that she had pointedly chose to reject previously.

The session today was, to all purposes in her mind, a failure and one of those frequent steps in the wrong direction. It was not only the new injury she had sustained - that would force her to idle for the next few days, which the mere thought of chafed her - but she had not made any progress in her training.

Somehow she felt at odds with her self. She spent countless hours attempting to refine her control over her bloodline limit; in fact it had been over ten years since she had begun. However she was undoubtedly nowhere near the stage she had hoped to be by now.

On the other hand, she had made a promise to become a fully fledged user of family's kakei genkai no matter how long it took. A wave of melancholy swept over her heart as the memory played unbidden in her mind.

She remembered blood, a lot of blood, and the fear and confusion of a little child.

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_Her father lay on the ground in front of her, breathing harshly and coughing up more of the red substance than she thought one person should be able to. She cried slumped over his form, hands twisted in his pale blue-grey vest, now sullied with his blood, and he snaked an arm around her shoulders in a comforting act._

_He crooned as he rubbed her shoulder, told her she would be alright and to remain strong for the family. She knew he was dying; her parents had prepared her for the possibility that they may be parted but it still didn't make it an easier on the ten year old girl._

_The enemy had already disappeared with her mother and brother as well as some others of the clan and she had no idea whether any of them were still alive or not. The broad hand stilled shortly when he suddenly coughed again._

_Her father hadn't been a strong warrior even so she admired his determination to perform every thing to the best of his ability. She managed to choke out a promise around her tears and he just smiled at his daughter one last time._

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She bit the inside of her mouth. It was not good to dwell too long on the past, for it happened, nothing was going to change. Many of her clan had died in the fight or discovered missing afterwards much to the sorrow of those who had survived. The fact they had been attacked did not shock the remaining adults - it was a given for any family with a kakei genkai, especially hers as they were only a small clan to begin with - rather the kidnapping of clan members.

She thought it laughable that any body would want the knowledge of her bloodline, may be the strikes were meant to get rid of the presence of such weakness so it did not corrupt any of the more powerful clans. An uncharacteristic sadistic part of her wallowed in her pain that her clan was the probably the laughingstock of the entire shinobi world; despised, demoted to worthless ninja wannabes and ridiculed for their inability to use their own techniques successfully.

The tears began welling and she inadvertently clenched her teeth so hard they broke the skin of her mouth, tasting the metallic tang of blood. This was one of the reasons why the line between physical and emotional pain had blurred so much for her. Each hurt found a means to punctuate both sides, an endless circle just like today.

The training accident led onto the self doubt she harboured which in turn brought her to the absence of her immediate family and round again to inflicting more abuse on her self. A never ending cycle of various pains the human being possessed.

There was only one reliable course she could pursue to gain the knowledge and training she needed to control her bloodline and that required the assistance of certain shinobi. Yet she feared venturing from the relative safety of the hidden abode she and the clan called home, afraid of the possible rejection from the last village she had left to ask, Konohagakure of Fire Country.

Considering what happened the last time she had travelled abroad in search of ninja villages to take her on, her worries were well justified. It had taken the past couple of years for her to able to gather the courage to leave again, now that she had recovered enough mentally and physically to consider asking for foreign help. She disliked relying on others but it seemed circumstances had conspired for her to spend her entire life depending on people.

If not for her promise to her father and the love of her remaining family, she was not sure whether she would have fared as well as she had. She had been, still was, a keen student and had her ambition to keep her moving forward. Her family was the most precious thing in the world to her and she wanted to return to the Hosoku clan something they had been missing for a few generations; a skilled shinobi and master of their kakei genkai, Tsuriaishi.

But was she actually ready to depart her family once again to achieve her dream.

**... TBC ...**

* * *

I hope I haven't put any one off with a confusing prologue. Anyway, let me know what you think of the idea or if this needs to be improved in any way, so on and so forth. Don't forget pairings are open for suggestions. I'd love to know your thoughts. 

And there's a preview of the first chapter in my livejournal if anyone would like to read more before passing judgement on my humble fic. Thank you for reading.


	2. Unusual Requests

**Disclaimer** : Kishimoto-sama owns Naruto and co. but the Hosoku clan and related paraphernalia are mine.

**Warning** : None

**A/N** : The prologue probably didn't do much for some readers so the change back to my style of writing should help. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter for I worked real hard to get it past writer's block.

**Note** : Naruto and co. are 19 and all characters ages are relative. Also pairings are still open to suggestions, though they are secondary to the plot.

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**Chapter One**

**Unusual Requests**

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Tsunade lightly pinched the bridge of her nose between forefinger and thumb, a weary habit that had manifested in the years she hand been Godaime Hokage. She just hoped that she would be finally finished with the job before she was as old as Sandaime had been. Tsunade really didn't want the record of being the eldest reigning Hokage. The position of Konoha's head shinobi was a job that belonged to the younger generation not to old fogies; the two positions reserved in council were for that. Sometimes the influential shinobi village needed a refreshing new mind for its continual growth.

"Godaime-sama?"

Good old Shizune, she was always keeping an eye on the blonde Sannin. What the Godaime thought would be a short interlude - from the never ending paperwork - had turned into a rather unusual and drawn out meeting. Now where was she? Ah yes the dark brunette youth in front of her.

Tsunade gave one last rub to her nose and stared observantly at the foreigner whom had gained an audience. Normally the gaze would make any civilian really uncomfortable, who in their right minds wasn't scared when a powerful Kage was looking at them like as if she could read everything jumping through their mind.

The person sat quietly on a chair brought in specifically for their use, hands resting lightly in their lap. The only outward sign of uneasiness was a slight rub of fingertips over the meat of the thumb; otherwise they were withstanding the intensity quite admirably.

"All the other Hidden Villages rejected you?" The tone Tsunade used made it into a statement rather than a question.

The outsider gave a small nod of the head. There was no need for a verbal reply as they had already been over this part many times in their discussion of the youth's request. All they were doing now was awaiting the Hokage's decision, as long as they needed to. The leader of the Hidden Leaf had a lot to sort through.

Tsunade really couldn't find a malicious crack any where in this person's request, however the request was more complex than it sounded. It not only affected ninja activities - which the Hokage presided over - but also the security of Konoha. This case required that the council to be called to discuss the matter further and whether to grant such a thing.

"Shizune, send for the members of the council."

The woman in question nodded quickly in understanding and then exited the room to do her sensei's bidding.

The youth watched the medic-nin leave before turning back to the blonde kunoichi of rank. The two gazes met once more; one stern while the other flickered with hope.

"I believe you are genuine. Thus I am willing to support your request within the Konoha Council."

"I am deeply grateful for this chance Hokage-sama." The person bowed respectfully in their seated position with the grace of a ninja, the pose not at all appearing awkward.

"This situation is," the female Sannin paused then finally settled on a word, "unique, to say the least."

"I fully understand what I'm asking Konoha to go through is difficult." The corners of their eyes tensed. "However, I am also aware that the founding of strongest shinobi villages began in this way."

Tsunade silently agreed. This person had thoroughly thought out the implications and consequences of their request, showing a skill the Hidden Leaf valued in shinobi. It was a surprise that the youth was also hitting the points the Hokage was going to use on the council.

"The representatives should be arriving soon. You'll need to state your case to them. After that is done I'll have someone escort you to a secure room while the matter is debated."

"Understood Hokage-sama."

Tsunade stood with a stretch to soothe stiff muscles and walked towards the council chambers, motioning the youth to follow behind. Her amber eyes were sore and the Godaime had a feeling that it would be awhile before she could sneak a nap before Shizune found her. Kami-sama she hoped the Konoha Council wouldn't be too conservative on this. After all, every prospering city needed change every once in a while.

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Iruka brushed the back of his hand over a slightly sweaty brow. The kids had been an absolute handful today as they had been all week. There were only a few weeks until his latest class would become eligible for Genin.

He wore a rueful curl on his lips for a moment. The Chuunin cared for all the students who had passed through and it was a little hard to let them go. But as always, most came back as only nine would make official Genin status under Jounin tutelage, until the next round of Jounin were roped into accepting students.

A soft knock at the classroom door was enough to startle Iruka from his reminiscence. He smiled as the teacher recognised the long indigo hair. Hinata returned the gesture and stepped into the classroom, walking over with more confident steps than she had as a student.

"How are you Hinata-sensei?"

The Hyuuga tapped the edge of the brunette's desk with a finger, amusement showing in her colourless eyes. "The same as when you asked me this morning Iruka-sensei."

"The kids are not too rowdy then?"

"I'm coping. Besides, one mention of your name and they quieten right down."

Iruka let out a chuckle at the thought. Then he remembered he was supposed to be paired with Hinata for a shift at the mission desk later. "Did you need me for something?"

"Oops, I was sent to fetch you." The kunoichi grimaced for delaying her important message with pleasantries.

The older Chuunin looked surprised. "Fetch me?"

"Yes. Godaime-sama requests your presence at the Hokage Tower."

"Okay. Just let me put these away." He gestured to the papers arranged systematically on the desk.

Hinata nodded and waited patiently for the Chuunin teacher.

Iruka quickly opened a drawer on the right and piled each of the stacks on top of each other. Once done the teachers fell in step on their way to Tsunade's office, a comfortable silence settling between them.

Konoha's weather was being merciful this month. Several rain showers had blissfully interrupted the seasonal hot days that had been pestering the humans' comfort levels. It was quite pleasant today with the clouds having seen fit to hang around in a rich cerulean sky, occasionally passing over the glaring sun.

Always the one who liked to be prepared the brunette broke the silence to see if his former student had any information on why the blonde Sannin had called him. For some reason his instincts were telling him that this would be no ordinary meeting.

"Hinata?"

"Yes Iruka-sensei?"

"Do you know why Tsunade-sama called me?"

The muscles at the base of her neck - as well as the top of the shoulders - flexed in nervousness or indecision. The young woman had gotten a lot better in the last four years about such things and the habits from Hinata's Genin days had disappeared, unless you knew what discreetly replaced them of course.

The Hyuuga breathed a light sigh before answering. "I was given no details, but I think it might have something to do with a girl." Hinata saw the surprise on Iruka's face and she hastily amended her sentence. "That's just my speculation."

Iruka knew the kunoichi was good at discerning part of the truth at times - such was an ability of the Hyuuga clan - even if she didn't know it herself. He nodded to assure the young woman he understood, yet inwardly wondering whom this girl was to gain Hinata's attention and what Tsunade wanted.

It wouldn't take him long to find out as the pair had reached the steps leading up and around the Hokage Tower. Shizune was standing outside of the study along with the Godaime's two ANBU guards, fingers lightly rapping against the clipboard she held. Iruka took in the medic-nin's unusually flustered appearance; apparently she was nervous.

The black haired kunoichi gave one glance at who approached and waved the older Chuunin inside. She started a quiet conversation with Hinata as the heavy wood doors cut both women from sight and hearing. Iruka turned to find the Hokage pacing small circles into the carpet behind the desk, the chair abandoned to the side for the moment. He waited for her to speak.

A minute passed before Tsunade recovered the high-backed seat and sat down, resting her arms on the tabletop.

"I have a," she paused to find the right words to phrase the situation with a fatigued sigh. "It's an assignment of sorts."

"A mission for me, Hokage-sama?"

"Yes, and Hinata-sensei as well, for the moment. You can sit if you like Iruka, this might take some time."

The brunette Chuunin complied with the suggestion while thinking that his shinobi instinct was correct once again. He thought it was strange that Hinata had not been ushered in with him but detained by Shizune.

"I'll get straight to the point then." Tsunade clasped her hands together on desk's surface. "Konoha has received an unusual request from a clan from Grass Country."

The teacher was confused on that. Grass Country has their Hidden Village to turn to.

"A member of the Hosoku clan has asked for the chance to be trained as a ninja under Fire Country rule."

"They are renouncing Grass affiliation for Fire?" Iruka interjected in shock.

Tsunade remained unperturbed by the outburst. "No." She ignored the confused stare but answered the unspoken question anyway. "The Hosoku can not renounce something they do not have. Grass exiled the shinobi clan a few decades ago. They do not belong to any of the Hidden Villages."

This assignment should not be a large inconvenience on your teaching schedule. She will be placed in your graduating class. The basic requirement at the moment is that she is up to par with the other students by the time Genin selection comes."

Iruka tilted his head in acknowledgement. "I assume she has had some training since you are not putting her in a lower class."

"She informed us of chakra training and basic ninjutsu," the Godaime confirmed.

"Will the girl be allowed to take the Genin exams and take on a Jounin sensei?"

"That is undecided. Once Konoha Council is satisfied with what she is capable of then they will make a judgment."

"Hai."

Just then a loud knock sounded against the study door. Tsunade shifted in her seat as she shouted for the person to come in. The wood opened to reveal Hinata with a slight flush, meaning the kunoichi had been given either bad news or really good news.

"Hokage-sama," the Hyuuga stated simply.

"Hinata. Is she with you?"

"She'll be with us in a moment. She's just talking to Shizune-san."

"Iruka the reason that Hinata is also assigned, is that the Hyuuga's have consented to give the Hosoku member advanced chakra training. Hinata will also assist you should you require it."

The blonde handed over a scroll to each of the two teachers. "Every thing I've said and other information is in these. If it doesn't have what you want just ask her or me, whichever is appropriate."

The Chuunin accepted the scrolls and replied simultaneously. "Understood Hokage-sama."

Tsunade waved a petite hand at the door; obviously someone was seeking permission to enter.

The brunette rose from his seat to greet the newcomer. From the information the Sannin had spoken he had conjured the image similar to that of his class, a twelve-year-old girl innocent but eager to learn. Iruka could not imagine a clan sending a child any younger away to a foreign village, unless a guardian accompanied the girl.

With this in mind Iruka was not prepared for the person standing inside the doorway. Instead he was looking at the stature of a young woman who appeared to be in her late-teens.

Her dark brown hair was neatly plaited and coiled at her nape, almond-shaped navy eyes gently framed by a fringe. She wore a sky blue, short-sleeved yukata that cut off at mid-calf, the hems decorated with monochromatic lilies of the same colour, and tied with a wide obi complementary to her dark irises. Plain white arm-protectors that had tiny, azure lily motifs embroidered into black buckles graced her forearms.

The voice of the Hokage broke Iruka from his state of light shock.

"Iruka, this is Kitai Hosoku," the girl bowed politely as Tsunade spoke her name, "your newest student."

"I'm honoured to meet you Iruka-san."

**. . . T B C . . .**

Please review.


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